As a result of the proliferation of the automobile and other land vehicles in recent years, there has been equal growth and refinement in the number and kinds of devices used to maintain the vehicles in good operating condition. One such device, provided to insure that a vehicle handles properly and that the tires wear properly, is the wheel alignment device.
In the past, it was usually deemed sufficient that the front wheels of a vehicle were in proper alignment. However, the introduction of unibody vehicle construction has made necessary the alignment of all four wheels supporting a vehicle. If the four wheels are not in proper alignment, the result may be excessive tire wear and poor handling, plus more frequent replacement of other vehicular components such as shock absorbers, springs and steering components.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,596 discloses a wheel aligning device and method of using the device wherein a rigid member is attached to a vehicle strut assembly in place of the wheels. The device includes a projecting hub so that a camber gauge may be supported thereon and includes a height adjustment feature comprising a rotatable block member.
While the above-noted patent represents an advance in the keeping of a vehicle's wheels in proper alignment and increases the efficiency of wheel alignment procedures, some problems have remained unaddressed. Specifically, while the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,596 improves the speed and efficiency with which the front wheels of a vehicle can be aligned, there is still the difficulty of quickly and accurately attaching diagnostic equipment such as camber gauges to the device. Additionally, there is no discussion or provision for the quick and accurate wheel alignment while the vehicle wheels remain in place.
Thus, it would be beneficial to have an improved wheel aligning device which may be connectable to and used with the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,596, to any similar device, or directly to the vehicle wheels.